Background:
I was approached by Heliopolis Productions, a multilingual video production company based in Toronto, to address technical issues on their WordPress website. The site had been developed using numerous free plugins, which caused compatibility problems as they were automatically updated over time. Some of these plugins had been abandoned by their developers, compounding the issue. Heliopolis was also updating their demo reel and wanted their site to showcase it effectively.
The Requirements:
Heliopolis was generally satisfied with their existing design but wanted a few tweaks, including a transparent header bar to highlight their demo reel. They also wanted to migrate away from Bluehost due to concerns about value for the cost. The site needed to load quickly and autoplay a high-quality demo reel. They required English, French, and Spanish versions of the site with accurate translations, as previous automated translations had contained errors. Additionally, they wanted Google Analytics integration.
The Implementation:
To address the technical debt and compatibility issues of Heliopolis Productions’ existing website, we decided to rebuild the site from scratch on a new hosting provider. Leveraging the familiarity and flexibility of WordPress, we preserved their blog posts while ensuring an updated design and enhanced functionality. The decision to use WordPress also allowed for cost-effective implementation of key requirements through available plugins.
Elementor was utilized to reimplement the site’s design. Using Elementor also provided us with the opportunity to consolidate functionality that had previously been spread across multiple plugins. The main hero section of the homepage underwent a redesign to provide visitors with an unobstructed view of Heliopolis’ demo reel, which serves as the highlight of their work.
In order to support multilingual capabilities, we incorporated the Polylang plugin, enabling the creation of English, French, and Spanish versions of the site. Client-supplied translations were utilized to ensure accurate and professional language representation, avoiding the errors that were previously present in automated translations. This improvement greatly enhanced Heliopolis’ image as a multilingual company.
Custom post types were added to facilitate easy management and updating of previous projects and client lists. This streamlined approach allowed Heliopolis Productions to effortlessly showcase their extensive portfolio and maintain consistency across new and existing content.
Throughout the implementation process, clear communication and collaboration were vital in managing client expectations and achieving the desired outcome. We successfully balanced website load speed, video quality, and hosting costs to create a site that showcases Heliopolis’ work effectively while providing a smooth and engaging user experience.
Challenges:
The main challenge involved finding a balance between website load speed, video quality, and hosting costs while meeting client expectations. The original demo reel was large in size, so we utilized Adobe Media Encoder to create compressed versions for desktop and mobile viewing. Through ongoing communication and collaboration, I guided the client in understanding the compromises necessary for inexpensive hosting, high-quality videos, and fast load times. Ultimately, the site performed smoothly and showcased their work effectively.